The Incredibles: All's Fair in Love and Glory
by hairsprayheart
Summary: Thought Disney and Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES ended happily ever after? Not so fast. There's a lot more to the Parr's lives than you might have thought. The one and only Mr. Incredible will return to Nomanisan for a different sort of mission, and more!
1. The Blame Game

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter One: The Blame Game

"I hate the government," Bob Parr growled.

He was currently working on the rather boring task of paying the bills. The electricity, water, school clothes, mortgage on their relatively new house, and other costs were adding up fast. To top it all off, he was still technically unemployed, since the promised check he'd been depending on Mirage for had yet to materialize.

Ever since the various fiascos – accidents – umpteen years ago, when the famous Supers were left unpaid and unloved, it was rather easy to blame his ungrateful government for all his problems.

Especially now that he was reduced to rifling through bills he couldn't pay.

When Helen got back from her shopping trip, she wouldn't be happy. He groaned. Again. She would be buying food. And clothes. And shoes._Again_. His kids were growing too darn fast – always hungry, always getting too big for things. Just getting too big, in general!

He remembered the days fondly when he had swung a young Violet around by her arms. She had laughed, endlessly. And sung little songs in her sweet squeaky voice. Now her music was kept close and private like a secret, known only to her and her headphones. Oh, how he missed cute infant Violet, in her purple velvet "It's a Girl!" baby blankie, with the big soulful eyes and softest layer of downy black fuzz for hair. He would remember that day forever, taking her home from the hospital – his pride and joy. His little Violet.

At the moment, he knew she was upstairs, most likely listening to her CD player and daydreaming about her boyfriend instead of doing her homework. She would be sitting on her bed, her knees folded up to her chest, tucked up in an almost-fetal position. But so far from her baby self.

He shook off a bitter pang of loss – she was still alive and upstairs. Still his daughter. Yet… different than she had once been.

He wished he could find someone to blame for _that_.

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"DASH!"

Helen Parr ground her teeth together in impatience. While her middle child didn't have the invisibility powers of his sister, he had done a pretty good job of making himself disappear among the clothing racks at the department store.

Jack-Jack, settled sleepily in his stroller, seemed quite content – for once. Helen was thankful for this, at least. She had to take Jack-Jack everywhere now – for some reason no babysitter would watch him anymore.

"Dashielle Robert Parr…"

Snickering to himself, Dash nestled deeper into the clothes he was hiding in. He hated shopping, so he hid in the racks of the little girls' section, where he would never be suspected.

Suddenly, as he crouched there, his shield parted. A pair of glimmering blue eyes searched his.

"Dash?"

Recognizing the girl from his class, Dash's own eyes widened.

"Shh, Carissa. I'm hiding," he whispered.

"Oh. Okay," the little girl said, hesitating. "Would you mind if I hid with you?"

Dash blew out a long breath, knowing that the gig would soon be up. Oh well, might as well the girl have a little fun. Let her think she was being sneaky. All right. But just… be quiet, okay?"

She nodded, silent now.

But too late.

"Dash!" Helen peeked into the hole in the center of the circular rack. Her thin lips pursed into a sly smile. "So, this was about a girl?"

"No!" he groaned, his cheeks coloring.

Humiliated, he narrowed his eyes into a glare directed at Carissa and her pathetic pouting display.

"Thanks a lot," he muttered, crawling out.

"I… I'm sorry," Carissa stuttered.

But as he obediently rejoined his mother, Dash decided that it wasn't really fair to blame Carissa. She was, after all… so… pretty…

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Lucius Best did not particularly enjoy sleeping on the couch.

His wife, Honey, had banished him there.

His wife was a distinguished woman; a real lady. She enjoyed cocktail parties, a nice dinner; good entertainment. But she was also an opinionated woman, and when she lacked the above pleasures, things were not happy for anyone. Countless ruined evenings were blamed on Lucius.

It was not the first time he'd slept on the couch.

The couple's latest fight had resulted after Lucius "forgot" about a movie date. He'd gone to fight a fire instead. And now, he was fighting with Honey.

Generally, Lucius was a laid-back person. "Stayed cool," if you will. And he really did not like to fight. It was one thing to fight bad things – he was blessed/cursed with Super abilities and really had no choice. It was another, though, to fight with his lovely wife (with whom things could very easily get very ugly.)

He grunted and shifted, trying to get comfortable on the couch. It didn't seem very possible. But he continued to try. Because when he left his wife alone, she calmed down. And that was good. Because when she was happy, everybody was happy.

Rolling over, Lucius fell onto the floor. More grumbling… about Bob and those stupid fires.

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Sobbing, Mirage threw herself onto Syndrome's bed. It had been empty for a month now.

A month since he had left Nomanisan. Forever. He had planned to be gone for just a day – long enough to unleash the Omnidroid on his old hometown, then magically defeat it with the controller. He had planned on looking like a Super – a hero. Like he had always wanted to be. Syndrome had always had a plan. It had not, however, been his plan to be defeated by Mr. Incredible, and end up dead.

Syndrome had been her lover. Employer. _Owner_. When he had first hired her – it seemed so long ago – she had tried to stay professional. But he had not wanted her just as a secretary. He had been so boyish, so needy… so irresistible. Desire had flamed through her like his shock of orange hair.

And now, something else coursed through her – guilt. For defying him. For hurting him. By releasing Mr. Incredible and his family, she had also released Syndrome from herself. And ultimately allowed for his defeat. She shrieked and lobbed a pillow at the wall. _She_ was to blame for his death.

She had made his uniform. Supersuit. With her own hands. That damned cape he had dreamed of, that had sucked him away to his death.

Mirage gulped down a breath and sat bolt upright, swiftly wiping away her tears as there was a knock at the door. For a brief, stupid moment, she hoped… but it was only one of the guards, wanting to check on her. He must have heard her scream. She let him go before going to look in the mirror.

Drying tears still glinted on her well-defined cheekbones, complemented by the sheen of her silver hair reflecting the light. She and Syndrome had stood her many times before, together, in front of the mirror. He had looked at her and called her perfect.

She snorted, disgusted at her tendency to reminisce. She had to be strong. She looked away. The mirror was lying to her.

Never again could she be perfect.


	2. It's a Date

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Two: "It's a Date"

Sitting at the kitchen table, Helen struggled to occupy Jack-Jack and read the classified ads in the newspaper simultaneously. She groaned as the phone rang, slightly muted by the stack of papers surrounding it. Nonchalantly, she flung her arm to full extension to get it.

"Parr residence."

"Oh. Helen," a voice said, warm but hesitant.

"Mirage," Helen replied slowly, wondering if her voice sounded accusing.

"Is this a bad time? I can call back later," she added hastily.

"No, it's all right."

"Look, Helen…" Mirage paused to clear her throat. "I, ah, know we got off on the wrong foot, but I was just trying to help—"

"And you did," Helen interrupted, trying to muster up as much friendliness as she could towards the woman who had almost ruined her and Bob's marriage. "Bob said he was being paid for a little while, and you helped us get off the island." Even though you put us on it, she added silently.

"Nothing happened. Please believe me," Mirage pleaded.

Aggravated, Helen bit back a string of insults.

"Why are you calling us, Mirage?"

The frail young woman didn't speak for a moment. "Just to see how everything was, I suppose," she said finally.

"We're getting along," Helen replied shortly, reaching for Jack-Jack as he started to fuss.

Mirage's tone changed suddenly.

"Well, if you ever had a change of heart about me, I would love to have you back here. All of you."

"What?" Helen spluttered. "I mean, the kids have school, and Bob's looking for a job…"

"He can get one here!" Mirage chirped. "It's perfect."

Helen sucked in her breath sharply. Jack-Jack cooed his approval.

"I'll see what I can do," she sighed.

Returning to her professional state, Mirage said, "Wonderful. I'll call you back tomorrow at, say, two in the afternoon?"

"Bob should be home by then," Helen mused. "It's a date."

"Thank you, Mrs. Incredible. It was lovely talking to you."

Helen said good-bye, and hung up with a snort. She looked at Jack-Jack.

"Who does she think she is?"

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_Violet walked down the hall, clutching her schoolwork and feeling rather alone. She had reverted to her previous stage of solitude, her hair, unhindered by a headband, free to hide her forehead. She was standing by herself, only to be met by a shadowy figure at the other end of the hall..._

_"Tony!" she cried, dropping her books and whipping off her backpack. "You came for me."_

_"Well, of course I did," he answered._

_His voice didn't even crack!_

_In slow motion, they began to run towards each other, focused only on the other even as their shoes squeaked across the tile floor._

_When they met, he pulled her into his strong arms and they began to kiss passionately._

She awoke with a jolt, her head jerking up from its plae on her folded arms. Crap. It wasn't like her to have romantic fantasies. _Crap._

Rubbing her eyes, she realized that her teacher was calling attendance - as she always did, after forgetting to do so at the beginning of class. Lucky for her, her name was near the end of the roll sheet, and her teacher was still at the B's.

_I'm awake._ She stretched, sleepily. _ Barely._

Tony was really changing her. When it had just been a crush, it was one thing. But now, when they'd gone tot he movies, and he'd asked her to, officially, be his girlfriend... and she'd said _yes_... well, that was another thing altogether. She'd said yes, all right - and gone crazy promptly thereafter. Gone crazy for him, that is. She sighed. All it had taken was one date.

Sneaking a glance at him, she tried to keep from melting as he gave her a little smile.

_Get it together, Vi! _You_ wear the pants in this relationship._

She straightened up as the teacher said her name.

"Violet Parr?"

"Right here. Same as always," she added.

Her voice was clear and strong.

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A few blocks away from Violet lay Dash's elementary school. Her brother was having a similar dilemma. But for different reasons.

Standing up at the front of the room was the girl he considered a goddess.

All it had taken to convince him of such was their chance meeting at the department store, where he had been school shopping - or trying to get out of doing so - and seen her in his hiding place. She was such a clever little girl to find him, and even though she had given him away, he had to forgive her. She was just... so... cute. And sweet. And pretty.

_Carissa McClain._

He rolled the name around in his mouth like candy. It seemed just as sweet. He closed his eyes and smiled dreamily, wishing desperately that he could enfold her perfect little hand into his own...

_"Dash!"_

His buddy Bryce was kicking him insistently under their shared desk, snickering.

"What?" he snapped.

"You like Carissa, huh?"

Dash's wild eyes popped wide open and he reached forward to clamp his hand over Bryce's _big_ mouth.

"What do _you _know?"

Bryce rolled his eyes. The message taken, Dash removed his hand to permit speech.

"Just that you've been saying her name overandoverandover--"

"I_get_ it," Dash hissed. "Now shut up!"

Unfortunately for him, Dash had picked a friend who was as clever as he.

"Or_what_?" came the taunting reply.

Now it was Dash's turn to roll his eyes. His store of comebacks was all but empty. He sighed and returned a rather lame, "Or _else_."

"You're a loser," Bryce snorted. "But hey... nice choice."

Dash's cheeks flamed with anger.

With Bryce now listening to Carissa's presentation, he followed suit. It was an elaborate report, on the solar system, that seemed to far exceed the standard fourth grade project in his opinion. But then, Carissa was definitely not the standard fourth grade girl. And that wasn't just his opinion. Many other boys agreed.

Which could pose a problem.

There was only one thing left to do at the prospect of facing formidable competitors vying for Carissa's affection, and that was to be the first to get it.

Digging around in his backpack, Dash finally found he didn't care to eat. It clearly had better purposes, anyway. And since he didn't know what to do, he did the only thing that elementary school boys know how to do to get a little girl's attention...

...he threw something.

Feeling guilty immediately after throwing the piece of fruit, Dash still had to compliment himself on his excellent marksmanship. There was now a perfectly shaped stain (if a stain could be perfect in any fashion) on Carissa's poster.

Pleased with himself and the ensuing chaos, he sat back to let it unfold. Those who had observed the magnificent splat seemed in awe, if not at least impressed. But no one could pinpoint the thrower of the projectile, seeing as, firstly, everyone had been utterly consumed by the presentation, and secondly, Dash's arm - like most of him - moved with inconceivable speed. This meant, to his slight disappointment, that Carissa did not know who had caused the clamor. But she might look his way and he could show her the smile he'd been practicing at home in the mirror...

"What was that?" someone wondered aloud.

The new teacher who was replacing Mr. Kropp (who had recently quit) looked even more distressed than Carissa, who as trying bravely not to cry (she was cute when she was trying not to cry, Dash noted).

"That, children, was a very well-thrown something-or-other, probably by someone jealous of Carissa's lovely poster." Her voice quavered with fury.

_Her poster's not the lovely one,_ Dash thought.

One of the stranger boys in the class approached the poster, stuck his finger on it, and licked the finger.

"Raisin," the kid announced.

"No," the teacher decided, narrowing her eyes. "It was too big. I'd say it was a... was a... _date_."

_Well, well, well, _Dash thought. _How very appropriate_.


	3. A Change of Heart

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Three 

Mirage sat by the telephone in her room, eager for the clock seated next to it to ring two. The instant it did, she lifted her phone from its cradle and punched in the number she had memorized.

As soon as it rang, she lost all the confidence she had mustered up. She smoothed down her skirt and hoped that Helen would be answering.

"Parr residence," said Bob, in a bored tone.

Oh dear. So it was Mr. Incredible. Mirage thought furiously of something intelligent to say, but nothing came to her but the following stupid greeting:

"Mr. Incredible!" she squeaked, unable to hide her excitement at hearing from him again.

"Mirage? What a nice surprise," he greeted her. "Why'd you wait so long to call? Man, it's been a long time. You know, you should really come down and pay us a visit sometime…"

He sounded much less flustered than she felt.

"Oh, I couldn't," she said quickly. "I'm sorry. It's just that things have been… difficult."

"I understand," Bob replied sympathetically.

"So, ah, where's Mrs. Incredible today?" she asked, uneasy.

"Oh, Helen? She's out picking up the kids from school," Bob responded.

"That's nice."

"Yeah. So… how have you been? Why didn't you call?"

Mirage hesitated.

"I didn't think it was really appropriate. After all, when Helen saw us, like that, it was clear she got the wrong idea…"

"Because she socked you," Bob said flatly. "Well, I think she was just a little surprised. But don't worry, she knows that it was just a friendly hug. Of thanks."

"Right." Mirage frowned. "Well, I just didn't think it was necessary, at the time, I suppose. I mean – just… as time went on, I realized that I missed having someone around. That I needed someone else to help me run the island. I was more than just a secretary, you know." _So much more,_ she added to herself. "Everything's just so different… with…"

"It's all right," Bob said quickly, not wanting to create an awkward situation.

"Mainly, I just wanted to call to thank you," she added hastily.

Bob raised his eyebrows.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For… for not hurting me… that night." Her eyes flashed as she remembered it. How he'd almost gotten her killed, and acted as though it were nothing.

"Oh. Well, really, I wouldn't have done it. Couldn't have. And I didn't mean to scare you. I just lunged for something. I was so angry…"

"You had every right," Mirage growled. "You thought he'd taken away everything from you." She paused. "I wouldn't have blamed you. I told him, afterwards, that you weren't weak. He hated me for defying him."

"Stop feeling guilty," Bob snapped. "He got everything that he deserved. I'm glad you don't have him in your life anymore."

"D-don't say that," Mirage said fiercely, her voice breaking.

"I'm sorry, but he could have gotten you killed!" Bob roared.

Mirage knew this. Had known it. But she didn't want to, and definitely didn't want anybody else to, either. She had to stay strong. She shook her head, angry at herself for getting upset in front of Bob.

"You saved me," she finally realized.

"You would have done the same for me," Bob replied, quieting.

"I'm afraid I wouldn't have," she said slowly, seeing how close-minded she'd been in Syndrome's grasp. "I was a part of… of all of it. Didn't you see that?"

"Eventually," he admitted. "But that's all forgiven, since you got us out of there. You're one of the good guys at heart," he added.

"Just to make up for what I did." She didn't want him to be nice to her – not after what she'd helped Syndrome do to him. "You should have just killed me. But you didn't. You're too… you're too much of a 'good guy' yourself."

He smiled appreciatively, but Mirage was serious.

"If chivalry were dead, Mr. Incredible, I would be too."

Bob mulled this over.

"And, as my knight in shining armor," Mirage continued slowly, "I need to ask you another favor."

"Shoot."

"I need you to come back to Nomanisan Island. Tomorrow."

Bob's mouth dropped open. How could he possibly…? He looked over at the door, knowing Helen would be coming through it with the kids any minute. There was no way she'd let him go back there, after all that had happened last time. Still, now he could trust Mirage, and there was no super-villain waiting for him this time. And after all the secrets he'd revealed, he could afford to keep one.

Mirage sensed his hesitation.

"There's plenty of money left from Syndrome's little… projects. I insist on paying you for your troubles. And I can send the private jet to the spot where you were picked up for your last visit."

"I'll talk to Helen," he lied, "but I know she'll approve of me going."

_So he hasn't told him I called, _Mirage thought, feeling slightly disappointed. _She must not have forgiven me yet. Which means she won't want him to go._ She sighed, not wanting to think badly of Helen. _Maybe she just forgot. And… even if she doesn't want Bob to go, something tells me he'll come anyway, seeing how as she didn't even know last time. She doesn't have to know…_

"Really? Wonderful," she purred. "I'm already looking forward to your visit."

Bob looked over – the door knob was turning!

"Sounds great. I'll be waiting for the jet tomorrow at six," he said quickly, and hung up.

The door opened.

"Oh, hey, honey," Helen said, looking anxious. "Sorry I'm late. Lots of traffic coming back from school. So, ah, did anyone call while we were gone?"

Violet shot Dash a look, noting the tension. Jack-Jack gurgled in Helen's arms.

"No," Bob said quickly, trying to sound innocent. "Were you expecting one?"

Helen shook her head. She was pretty sure Mirage wasn't brave enough to call after the way she'd treated the woman yesterday. Still, Bob was looking a little suspicious… but if she questioned him, he would know that they'd had a conversation, and that would ruin Helen's plan for a private investigation of the island, of her own. She turned away to go put the groceries in the pantry, reminding herself to call Snug and ask for another jet. Sure, she had ruined his last one, but—

"Oh, honey, and guess what?" Bob called, now grinning. "I got a job today!"

"That so? That's great, Bob!" She set Jack-Jack down and extended her arms to give Bob a hug.

Dash raised his eyebrow at Vi, who followed him upstairs then.

_Perfect,_ Helen thought._ Now, when he's gone, I can go to Nomanisan on my own. I just have to be back by tomorrow night so he's not suspicious._

_Perfect, _Bob thought._ Now that I have an excuse for being gone, I can go to Nomanisan. I just have to be back by tomorrow night so she's not suspicious._

When they'd gotten home, Helen and Bob had promised never again to keep secrets from each other.

But things changed.

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Mirage ran her finger gingerly over one of the many portraits of Syndrome she had collected. She had arranged them around his bedroom, where she had taken to sleeping. She had spent many nights there, and while the room was quite changed in its emptiness, signs of him lingered. She would draw the sheets close that she had he had lain under together; caress the pillow, and the crease where his hair had indented it. She would smell both of their scents mingling on the various linens and pieces of furniture he refused to ever wash.

She smiled sadly at the memories, knowing full well that Syndrome's irresistible passion had also been his downfall. He had been so reckless and impulsive. That had almost killed her, she remembered. A frown darkened her features suddenly.

She'd slap him, if he were still alive – that selfish, stubborn, sonuva—

No, she wouldn't. Couldn't. Tears filled her eyes even as she considered it. IF he were alive, she'd... she'd grab him up and press into him until he would forever be a part of her, and they'd be inseparable…

God, was she moody! It was annoying.

He'd been dead for over three months, after all. Why was she still grieving?

She didn't have time to sit back and think of him – she had Mr. Incredible's visit to prepare for! Because of Syndrome and his stupid ideas, her life would never be the same. But now she had things to take care of that he'd left behind. She didn't have the time to sit and mope about the past. So she swallowed her self pity and strode to the giant window that looked out on the island. Then she stripped off the black curtains and let in the light.


	4. A Secret Mission

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Four: A Secret Mission

Bob woke early the next morning.

Sneaking around his room, he struggled to muffle his alarm clock; and getting dressed, packing, and writing a note in silence proved a challenge. He kissed his wife gently on the forehead and left her the note, telling of his leaving for "work" on her dresser. Then he left.

Violet, invisible, and Dash, crouched by the coffee table, observed his departure.

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"Hello? Snug?"

Helen was shoving things into a bag as she called her old flight instructor. She had a feeling that he might not so willingly lend her a jet after she had crashed the last one, but Mirage _had_ paid for it.

"Yeah… I'm gonna need another plane. I still have to—"

Snug cut her off and she was silent for a minute.

"Thanks Snug. This means a lot to me."

Smiling, she hung up. No explanation needed. Good old Snug.

She woke up her kids quickly, hoping she still had enough time to make it to the island and back, as well as investigate, before Bob got home.

Violet groaned and rolled over, trying to ignore Helen's early wake up call.

"Violet," she said sternly. "This is important.

The girl sat up immediately, concern in her eyes.

"I need to go somewhere today, Vi. I want you to stay home from school and... take care of things."

Her eyes widened.

_Stay home from school? Can't object to that, _she thought.

Vi nodded, still a little unsure nonetheless.

"You know the drill – don't answer the door, or the phone. There's leftovers the fridge you can warm up for dinner. And…"

"Go to bed on time," Violet muttered.

"Atta girl."

Helen kissed her daughter, picked up her bag, and slipped on her mask.

"I have to go now," she said, stroking Vi's hair reassuringly. "Don't worry. Just be careful."

Violet's eyes searched her mother's, but she said nothing.

"Oh, and make sure Jack-Jack is watching that educational television stuff!" Helen called out as she left.

When she had gone, Violet ran to Dash's room.

"No school today!" she sang out.

"What?" Dash cried.

Violet raised her eyebrows.

"You aren't happy about that? What's wrong with _you_?"

He socked her in the arm.

"Ow!" she frowned and rubbed the spot, adding sarcastically, "You're so mature."

"Why can't we go to school?" he whined.

"Because, you little freak, Mom went on a—" –she put her fingers up in the air as quotes to emphasize this – "_secret mission_ and she told us to stay home. Probably because no other sane person will watch Jack-Jack after what happened to Kari."

"I thought Rick said she didn't remember all of that?"

"Who knows who she told about it before the procedure."

Dash shrugged.

"In any case – she has to go out and Dad's butt. Again. From whatever the heck he's doing up there." She sighed. "While we stay home and be _safe._" She rolled her eyes.

"_Right_," Dash snorted. "She probably just wanted her and Dad to have all the fun."

"Dad went to work, as far as Mom knows," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah."

"Then why is she going to Nomanisan?"

"Maybe she isn't. She didn't tell me. But it's safe to assume, from the message I listened to on the phone the other day." She smirked.

Dash snickered.

"Something's not right," Vi mused, her face taking on a thoughtful look. "Obviously, neither of them are going to work, and neither seems to know what the other is doing."

She groaned, and Dash made a face.

"Don't even start talking about how—"

"—their marriage is in danger."

He smacked his forehead.

"Well, it _is_! Besides, the day before yesterday, I listened to that phone conversation I told you. And guess who mom was talking to?"

"Pretty lady?" he guessed.

Violet narrowed her eyes.

"Yep. Mirage."

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The jet was shaped like a manta ray. It could zoom through the air and water at the same speed, and the ride was as smooth as silk the entire ride.

Bob entered it eagerly, remembering his last journey aboard it. There had been a robotic host offering food, drinks, and entertainment. He hadn't even had to clean up after himself.

"Wel-come back, Mis-ter In-cred-i-ble," said the now familiar voice.

"Hello," he grinned, plopping down into a cushy leather seat.

"Nice to have you back," the voice droned. "Now pre-par-ing for take-off."

He buckled up and slid down into his seat. It was time for a nice, long… nap…

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"Snug," Helen said warmly, greeting her old instructor with an embrace. "Thank you so much. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for this."

Deciding not to mention how the money Mirage had given him hadn't been enough to pay for the other plane she'd borrowed – and destroyed – he patted her shoulder.

"You're doing more for this world than I ever could," he told her quietly.

An awkward silence followed for a moment. (Neither of the two had ever been the talkative type, and really most of their conversations had contained information about wind gusts, and which switch to pull, or how the landing gear needed to be tuned up a bit.) Helen finally broke it.

"I should go. I think something suspicious is going on, and I need to stop it."

Snug nodded.

"Go," he murmured, urging her on.

Helen squeezed into the cockpit of the small, sleek fighter jet, pausing to poke her head out for a last goodbye.

"Thanks again, Snug," she called, dropping down and disappearing.

He gave her a brief nod, watching her carefully while she took off - as she had hundreds of times in the past, under his careful tutelage, of course. He figured now was as good as time as any to repeat his old instructor's ritual, for his old favorite student. He quickly crossed himself and took off his faded baseball cap to rub his balding head for good luck.

"Go get 'em, kid," he whispered.

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Cheerfully, Mirage had dismissed the guards the previous afternoon to let them roam the island at their leisure. Their dorms were located conveniently close, but lately they'd done nothing but dote on her. She felt she didn't need them around to greet Mr. Incredible – particularly after the beatings he'd inflicted on most of them during his last visit.

As she slipped into the little elevator that let down to the island's hidden landing pad, Mirage smoothed down her skirt and checked her makeup in the elevator's reflective wall surfacing.

She sat impatiently in the small elevator for what seemed eternity. She had prepared for so long for Mr. Incredible's arrival, and it had been months since she'd seen a man's face (after all, the guards' were all covered up). It would be satisfying to see a real man running the place. She had big plans for the business that she now had control of, and even bigger ones for herself. All she had to do was get a little help to start things out.

As the elevator's doors finally were activated by their motion sensors, she smiled.

"Mr. Incredible," she purred. "Welcome back to Nomanisan."


	5. Facing the Consequences

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Five: Facing the Consequences

The jet Helen was controlling sped sleekly through the air, small enough to dart into clouds and disappear. This would shield it from a casual, distant viewer, but it would still not escape radar. Helen had no intention of asking for permission to land after learning the consequences of doing so before, but knew she would still be detected.

Helen sighed. She could try ducking into the wake of a guard's plane – many were out today, oddly – but then _they_ would see her. And, to make things worse, staying where she was and circling would also attract attention.

She was trapped.

Despite assisting Syndrome, Helen had to admit Mirage wasn't an enemy. She had called, offered hospitality… And yet, showing up uninvited still seemed unwise. Perhaps dangerous.

While Mirage had extended an invitation, the island still seemed less than welcoming. She suddenly how immature her plan had been – what grown woman in her right mind would desert her children to fly to a faraway island to _spy_ on someone? It had been a ridiculous idea, and she realized she should turn back before she was seen… but the jet's falling gas meter disagreed with her.

"Oh crap," she breathed.

Hadn't Snug filled it up before hr departure? She… she'd just _assumed_ that he would have, and hadn't even bothered to check. She moaned and looked back at the horizon. It appeared as though the guards were having a field day, doing barrel rolls and dive bombs and seeming to have a great time. Maybe she could just sneak by – just another plane, in the radar's eye; perhaps a guard landing to get a snack…

Nah. She couldn't get away with it.

She threw the throttle forward. There was no time to change her mind now. Ahead, there was but a narrow landing strip – probably for the little hovercraft things the guards piloted. If she could just coax a little more from the jet…

"Come on!" she shrieked, at the jet.

The jet's landing gear thudded in protest as it made contact. Helen breathed a sigh of relief, steering the jet as its momentum carried it into the hangar. She jumped out and filled it with a tank of gas she found nearby. Her eyes glazed over – she realized she had no explanation for being here. Now that she had landed, and certainly been seen, she had little time to think though. She had to find Mirage and apologize for coming (though apologizing would be difficult) – before someone found _her_.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, Mr. Incredible, it's been too long," Mirage cooed, leaning forward and lacing her fingers delicately through his. A jolt of electricity traveled up her spine as she did so. His face betrayed no emotion.

"It has," he agreed, unmoving.

"So, what have you been doing these past few months?" she asked, hastily withdrawing her hand.

Bob shrugged.

"You know… stuff."

Mirage nodded, pretending to… know.

"Ah. Stuff."

"Mirage, let me just say that I'm honored that you invited me back to the island, but I'm really not comfortable—"

She immediately shot backwards against the wall of the seat. "I understand."

"No," Bob laughed, putting her at ease. "I mean, I lied to Helen about coming here," he admitted. "She doesn't know about any of this. She thinks that I'm at work."

"Oh, but you are!" Mirage insisted, smiling encouragingly. She was, to be honest, slightly shocked at both his last statement and his having not told Helen of his plans. "You're back in your old room. I want you to meet me in the conference room at nine o'clock. We have a meeting scheduled, all right?"

Bob nodded, through a little confused.

"Isn't that what you came for, Mr. Incredible?" Mirage asked, innocently. "Work?" She paused. "Nine o'clock."

"Nine o'clock," he repeated.

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Dash paced across the room while he considered the consequences of his truancy. Who knew? Maybe Matt would finally turn in his embarrassingly late project, and redeem himself after Dash's endless taunts. Perhaps Bryce would get his change to be class clown in Dash's absence… would the spot still be there upon his return? And oh, God forbid that some other wise guy would dare to ask Carissa to be _their _girlfriend?! A cold fear ran through him.

Violet poked her head in. "You okay in here?" she asked, skeptical.

Dash hesitated. She was a girl. She could help him figure out how to win Carissa over. But he'd pay for her help dearly – endless teasing, countless favors. So he kept his mouth shut.

"Helloooo…. Dash…."

"What?" he spun around anxiously. "Oh – sure."

"Uh-huh." She looked him over. Suspiciously.

"I_ said_ I'm _fine_!" he yelled.

A wail rose from the other end of the house.

"Nice job," Violet hissed. "Now you've woken Jack-Jack."

"I'll get the tool kit," Dash sighed resignedly.

Violet went to go check on the baby.

"What is it? Fire? Lead? Demon child? Shapeshifting? Teleportation?" Dash called out.

"Code red," Violet sighed, grabbing the fire extinguisher from their "tool kit". It contained all the materials and methods needed to return Jack-Jack to normal from his "special state."

"You coulda just said 'fire'," Dash grumbled.

"Whatever."

"This is boring," he whined. "Can't we just go to school?"

Violet shot him a look.

"Well, I mean, I just don't wanna get in trouble…"

"Since when has _that _scared _you_?" she snorted. "Besides, we should be more worried about what Mom'll inflict on us if she comes back and we aren't here."

"If she told you about dinner and going to bed," Dash pointed out, "she won't be home for a long time."

Violet paused. This was true. Still, just for the sake of arguing with her brother, she decided to continue the debate.

"Okay, but who'll watch Jack-Jack?"

"Well, _you_ don't have to go to school…"

"You are _sooo_ not leaving me with the baby," Violet growled. "_Some_ of us actually have _friends_, ya know."

Dash made a face, pretending to laugh at her _oh-so-hilarious_ joke.

"He'll be fine," he assured her. "Now c'mon, let's go!"

"And just how do you expect to get to school?" Vi protested. "I'm not planning on walking."

Dash grinned.

"I've got an idea."

Violet groaned.

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Helen, now Elastigirl, was doing her best to get quickly down the hallway, but the grounds were vast and invariable, with so many identical rooms. Which one belonged to Mirage? If she didn't find out soon, she was sure the many security cameras around would get her caught.

Sure enough, as she entered one room, an alarm went off. She threw her arm out with such force that the system that triggered it shattered.

"Ah! Ow. God," she snapped, cradling her hand. "That was one hard box."

She shook off the pain and swiftly exited the room. Hopefully she wouldn't have to do _that_ again. After all, there were only… _thousands_ of rooms to look through, she sighed dejectedly. How would she ever find Mirage?

_Wait_. There it was.

But it was getting fainter.

Mirage seemed to be talking into some sort of communications device, as she kept walking, but no reply could be heard. Helen realized that the sound was coming from a vent. She pressed her ear to it, but the sound continued to fade.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

Very slowly, as to not trigger the motion sensors rigged up nearby, Helen stretched herself out thinly so she could squeeze into the thin, sleek vent.

It was dark and tight within it, and Helen knew she could only stay stretched this thin for so long; she had to hold her breath so her lungs would stay compressed too. So she crawled furiously after the sound of Mirage's voice.

Finally feeling as though she couldn't bear to lack air for one more moment, Helen squeezed through another vent and tumbled out…

…right into the path of a group of oncoming guards.


	6. Let's Talk

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Six: Let's Talk

"You've gotta be kidding me," Violet said incredulously.

"I've done stuff like this before," Dash insisted, trying to metaporically wave her worries aside with his hand.

"Sure ya have," she said, sarcastic.

"Just trust me. Have I ever let you down before?"

Violet narrowed her eyes at him.

"That question was so stupid and so cliché that it doesn't even _deserve_ an answer," she snapped in reply. "But I think you know."

"Look. Just get on my back – you're light enough. Go invisible and I'll sprint to school – so fast that nobody enough sees me – and we'll be there. Easy as pie."

"We're already late, leaving a mutant baby alone, and have to deal with an idiot brother." She paused and smirked. "Oh wait. That's just _my_ problem."

"Shut up. I'm the only way you're going to see your _boyfriend_ today."

Violet blushed.

"I can miss out on that. And you don't seem so footloose and fancy free yourself these days."

"WHAT?!" Dash shrieked.

"Girls know these things," Vi said simply.

"You mean… she can tell?" Dash whimpered.

"Yeah. She's a Super too. Telepathic." She rolled her eyes. "No, stupid. I just know where to look for names doodled in notebooks." She laughed. "I can't believe you like Kari's little sister."

"K-Kari-'s little _sssister_?" he stammered.

"That's right, doofus. But like I was going to _say_, we can afford one more disaster. So let's try your stupid plan." She almost choked saying it, but then looked at him slyly. "But just so you can see your little girlfriend."

Dash angered.

"She's not my girlfriend. Yet."

"Let's just go!"

She hauled herself up onto Dash's back.

"This is so embarrassing," she moaned.

Dash rolled his eyes and got himself situated, then he looked back at Jack-Jack, opened the door, shut it behind him, and began his sprint.

"Hold on tight!" he cried.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Incredible checked his watch. 8:38 A.M. _Should be enough time_, he thought. He got a quick bite to eat, shoved his suitcases into the closet, and took a moment to enjoy the view as he had before. He hung out for a while longer and then headed down to the conference room.

He looked with contempt upon the door that led out to the area where he had been dragged around by the Omnidroid and its infuriating creator. But as he sat down at the large table, he knew this time would be different.

"Well, hello, Mr. Incredible," Mirage greeted him smoothly as she entered. "You're early."

"Wanted to make a good impression, I guess," he shrugged, grinning.

Mirage sat, smoothing down her skirt.

"I suppose we should talk business now," she said, clasping her hands in front of her on the table.

"What sort of business?" Bob inquired.

"I'm trying to decide what I want to do with the island," Mirage told him. "There are various business ventures we could prosper in here – agriculture, technological development, rocket research… so many more." She waved a hand in the air to signify indifference. "But honestly, I couldn't care less about the money. Syndrome left plenty of it behind. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Bob raised his eyebrows. "Syndrome's money?"

"No, actually," Mirage answered, her intense eyes locking onto his. "Syndrome."

"Uh… I'm not… quite sure what I should… say to that," he said slowly. What, exactly, do you want to… know?"

"His past," Mirage replied, immediately, sharply. "Who was Syndrome, before he was… Syndrome?"

"Wow." Bob sat back in his chair. "Well."

"You did know him before… didn't you?" She looked away. "I thought that's why he… started this whole thing."

Bob cleared his throat. "Mm-hm."

"I knew his name was Buddy. Buddy Pine. And that he was smart and passionate and impulsive. But I suppose that's him now."

"That's how he was then, too," Bob said. "A ten-year-old inventor, and my self-declared number one fan. He ruined a few important busts for me. The last time I saw him, he was being carted off by the police after allowing a French terrorist to escape, and keeping me from stopping a piece of tram track from blowing up thanks to the bomb he left. It's complicated," he explained. Then he shook his head. "He was so angry. He said if he couldn't be a Super by birth, he'd become one, with all of his inventions."

"How sad," Mirage murmured. "That explains why he's so bitter towards Supers."

"That doesn't excuse anything," Bob growled, remembering all the friends and co-workers he'd lost thanks to Syndrome's plans. "You don't just kill someone because you're _jealous_ of them!"

"I-I wasn't suggesting…" Mirage stammered.

"Why am I _really_ here, Mirage?"

Suddenly, a guard burst through the door.

"We have a situation, Miss Mirage."

Mirage looked annoyed.

"Didn't I give you the day off? What are you still doing here?"

"Well, Miss, something triggered the security cameras," he said defensively. "An intruder."

Bored, Mirage waved her hand.

"Who is it? Bring him in."

"It's Elastigirl, Miss."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dash! Stop! We already passed my school!"

Violet felt her brother slow to a stop beneath her. She patted his head like a horse and leapt off. "Thanks for the ride, bro."

She ducked beneath a bush and became visible again.

"Have fun with Clarissa!" she called.

She heard Dash groan as he zoomed away.

When he was gone, she went up to the office to check in with the attendance lady. She wasn't there, so she sat down and decided to wait.

"Hey, what do you need?"

Violet looked up to see a tall, dark-haired, and extremely cute boy staring down at her intently.

"Um, what?"

The boy chuckled lightly.

"Sorry, I was thinking," she explained.

"I bet." The boy knelt down and took her chin in his hand flirtatiously. "You know, those big beautiful eyes reveal a lot about you."

Violet's first instinct was to wrench away, but she felt so relaxed.

"Have we met?" she managed.

"It's about a boy, isn't it?" the boy asked, releasing her chin and seating himself in the chair next to her.

"Excuse me?"

"What you're thinking about."

She frowned. "Yes, actually. How did you know?"

The boy winked.

"Always is."

He was right. Violet realized she'd been thinking about Tony a lot lately – mainly about their relationship. Or lack of one. He seemed so shy and distant. IT was almost like not having a boyfriend at all. Thinking of it _that _way, she grinned.

"My name's Violet," she blurted out.

The boy, who had begun to walk away, turned back, smiling.

"_I'm_ Nic. We should hang out sometime, Vi. You're pretty cool."

Violet nodded, paralyzed.

_Say something, you idiot!_ she thought.

"Nice to meet you, Nic!" she finally called out after him.


	7. BOOM

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Seven: BOOM

**boom**

(v.) to move with a resounding rush or great impetus.

(n.) 1. a rapid increase in something, as in babies.

2. noise, as in a fiery explosion.

"Bring her in," Mirage sighed.

Humiliated and gasping for breath, Helen was dragged into the office, still elasticized. She had just wanted to apologize for being so rude to Mirage – obviously nothing had happened between her and Bob. But of course, it had to turn into an ordeal. That was just her luck.

"I can't believe this. You followed me here!"

Helen raised her head in disbelief.

"_Bob_? What are you doing here?"

"Don't you trust me at all? I thought we were past this! I'm just doing my job, all right?!"

Weakly, Helen stood.

"Well, I _did_ trust you, until you decided to leave out the tiny detail that your job was _here_!" she shouted back.

Mirage remained silent, hoping not to get involved.

"_I_ came here to apologize to Mirage for being suspicious, when she was totally innocent. Are you trying to prove me wrong?" Helen continued.

Mirage shrunk back into her chair.

Bob stood and straightened up to full height so he could look down at his wife.

"We are just _trying_ to have a CIVIL _CONVERSATION_!" he roared.

"I can't deal with this anymore," Helen snapped. "I'm going home."

"Good!"

Helen quietly left, and Bob slammed the door behind her. He sat back down and turned to Mirage, a strained smile on his face.

"Now where were we?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Violet wandered distractedly through most of her classes that day. Right before lunch, she had science, and since they were doing a lab, she decided it would be best to pay attention. She and Tony had been lab partners for a while, and she used to get enjoyment out of this. Today, though she was avoiding it.

She had honestly considered skipping the class altogether, but seeing as the attendance clerk had been angry enough at her for being a period late, she had decided against it.

"Hey Vi," Tony smiled. He looked up from the chemicals he was mixing to give her a peck on the cheek. She quickly turned away.

"Something wrong?" he asked, touching her hand.

"I think we need to talk."

"Talk?" Tony squeaked.

"It's just not working, Tony. For so many reasons."

Anxiously, the boy ran his hand through his hair. "Is there someone else, Vi? What do they have that I don't? I mean, if I'm doing something wrong, you can tell me, and – and I can fix it." He looked at her pleadingly, his voice rising with each syllable he spoke. "C'mon. Just give me a chance."

"You're making a scene," Violet said, through clenched teeth.

Tony raised his voice further. "This is ridiculous! You won't even tell me why-"

Violet cut him off.

"It's over, Tony." She turned away. "Maybe it never even began.

"But… but Vi—"

Realizing the whole class was staring and he was only adding to his humiliation by making excuses, he turned angry.

"I saw the way you used to look at me, Violet. YOU can't break up with ME."

"I believe I just did," Violet replied coolly.

A chorus of "oooohs" arose.

Tony pushed back from the table and stood, stomping out the door. The test tubes he'd been working with clattered to the ground at the disturbance. Violet jumped back just before the reacting chemicals produced a small but still spectacular explosion. Nothing was damaged, except for Violet's wounded pride.

"That's why we don't bring up personal issues in class, Miss Parr," the teacher spat.

She wished she could use her powers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucius Best was leading a conference on the effects of global warming had on polar ice caps when one of the office's phones rang. The office's secretary appeared to be itching to answer it, but too guilty to interrupt.

"It's cool," he said, excusing her.

He allowed himself a silent laugh at his uncanny ability to combine slang with a bad pun related to his powers. But then he moved on with his presentation.

A moment later, the secretary reappeared.

"Sorry to interrupt again, Dr. Best. But it's for you."

Lucius frowned. Why would someone call him during a seminar? Who would it be? He didn't have the slightest idea, so he asked.

"It's your wife, Doctor."

"Now what would she be calling me about now?" he wondered aloud.

"Ask her yourself, if you'd like," the secretary suggested, handing him the phone. Lucius took it and went outside to talk.

"Honey? What is this?" I was kinda in the middle of somethin'."

"Well, this is important," Honey insisted.

"_Real_ important?" he questioned.

"Yes," Honey said, beginning to sound exasperated.

Lucius paused.

"Sorry, baby. Go on," he corrected himself.

"See now, that's exactly why I called you. I just couldn't wait till you got home," Honey said. "You sittin' down?"

She didn't wait for a reply.

"Lucius, we're gonna have a baby!"

His jaw dropped open. "Say what?"

"I'm pregnant, Lucius. Aren't you excited?"

"You're sure about this?"

"OF course I am, you idiot!"

"Then I'm happier than a kid with an ice pop! That's great, baby. I'll be home a.s.a.p."

He hung up and began to chuckle.

"Pregnant? Ice _pop_? Damn, I'm hilarious!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Incredible," Mirage said quietly.

"It's all right. She's been… cranky lately."

"I see." She frowned momentarily. "How old are your children, Mr. Incredible?"

Bob looked surprised.

"Uh, okay. Well, Violet is 14, Dash is 10, and Jack-Jack is around 2. I don't really know," he replied, rather sheepishly. "Why do you ask?"

The woman shrugged. "Just curious." But then she leaned forward. "I think you'd better get home and apologize, Mr. Incredible. It's none of my business, but moodiness, insecurity, fatigue… it seems to me as though… well, I think Mrs. Incredible could be expecting."

Bob gasped.

"Really? That's great! What should I do?"

Mirage looked away, hoping Bob couldn't see the tears welling up in her eyes as she suggested, "Bring her flowers and tell her you love her, and that you're thrilled."

"That'll make it up to her. Thanks a million, Mirage. You were a big help." He stood to give her a grateful peck on the cheek. "Sorry we didn't finish—"

"Go," Mirage interrupted. "Helen needs you."

As he turned to go, Mirage heard him mumbling something about a florist. When he had disappeared, she broke down and cried openly, knowing she was feeling just the same as Mrs. Incredible. For months now she had been in denial, but it was time to admit it.

She was carrying a baby. And the father was Syndrome.

Suddenly, the air was filled with an uproar of buzzing, followed by an enormous BOOM! Mirage felt herself thrown against a wall, and her world was filled with light and sound. Just as she went unconscious, she thought she heard a strangely familiar laugh…


	8. Mistakes

The Incredibles

All's Fair in Love and Glory

Chapter Eight: Mistakes

Dash found himself thinking that coming to school had been a mistake.

He sat dejectedly at his desk while the teacher read her newspaper and the other students worked quietly on their little projects. Some of the other boys were fooling around with the glue sticks in the back of the classroom, but for the most part, the room was silent, and the teacher remained immersed in her reading material. Dash respected her for this – being the worst disciplinarian in the history of elementary school teachers. She was a heck of a lot better than Mr. Bernie Kropp. She didn't even look up as he casually slid his pencil over to the edge of his desk and let it fall.

"Oops," he said loudly.

He looked over at Carissa, seated next to him and still working studiously on her project. And definitely not looking down to pick up his pencil for him.

Sighing, he realized his ploy to get her attention had been just another failure. Ever since Carissa had crawled under the clothing rack with him that day at the department store, she'd had his full attention. And he had none of hers.

Now he found himself in between many feelings – anger, sadness, loss of self-worth… just because of a girl.

Reluctantly, he leaned down to retrieve the pencil. Then he dropped it again, so he wouldn't be the only thing in the room who felt like they were on the floor.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bob had gotten home, and nobody was there.

He dashed to Helen's familiar bulletin board – the place where she always posted notes and reminders for him – to find it empty. Worried, he checked their closet, and found, to his dismay, a large suitcase was gone.

Helen had left him.

A thousand thoughts swarmed through his mind – Did she think he had been with Mirage? Why did she just leave now? Is she going to stay away? Is she going to raise our baby alone? Is this separation… for good?

He sat down and put his head in his hands and began to cry. All his energy had seemingly drained away. He just needed one more chance…

Then, he looked up, suddenly enlightened. He knew where Helen was. And he was going to go get her.

Grabbing his gifts, he hopped into the – remaining – car and began to drive towards the Truax house.

Helen didn't see her old mother much, but in times of crisis he knew that's where his wife would go. The Truax women had never been that close, and ever since Helen and Bob had been married the yearly visits had been few and far between – even when the kids came. Bob's mother in law did not particularly care for children, and she did not care at all for her son in law. So, with a heavy heart and shaking hands, he journeyed to enemy territory.

When he came to the right address – only a half hour away – Bob leapt out and threw open the door to the house.

"Helen! I'm so sorry about what happened. I don't deserve—"

"What are you doing here?" Mother Truax interrupted, fixing a steely glare upon him.

He ignored her and went for his wife, sitting in the next chair. He scooped her up in his strong arms and held tight even while she struggled, so he could kiss her and apologize. Still, as he leaned down, Helen wrenched away.

"Don't touch me, Bob. I'm tired of your fits of passion," Helen scolded.

Confused, he let his wife slump back into the couch.

"This isn't a fit, honey. I came to apologize. I'll change, I swear…"

"Like you did last time?" Helen asked quietly. She looked away.

"Helen," Bob pleaded, taking her hands, "please forgive me. I just… I just wanted to be able to support my family. I-I can't find anything else."

Helen did not reply, and he could fee her mother's eyes on his back.

"I need you," he whispered. "I love you, and I love this baby—"

"What?" Helen burst out. "What gave you the idea that I was pregnant?! I'm forty! I'm _old_!"

"No," Bob said quickly, trying to redeem himself. "You're not, honey. I saw a lady on a magazine cover who had quadruplets, and she was—"

"That was the _National Enquirer_, Bob. But thanks for trying," she murmured. "You do have a good eye for noticing that I was acting differently, but I am definitely not pregnant." She looked down.

"What is it?" he said, softly.

"She's going through _the change_, you idiot," Mother Truax spat, her words smacking him like the back of a pan. All the breath left his lungs. So, that explained everything, then.

"Oh, Helen. I'm sorry. I wouldn't know—." He picked her up again, and this time, she let him.  
"Of course you wouldn't," Helen said, into his shoulder. "You're a man. She looped her arms around his neck, a sheepish smile on her face. "I didn't expect you to come, and I really didn't expect you to apologize like this. But honey, I don't know. There's a pattern that's developing…"

"But, it always ends, right?"

Helen let go and slid out of his arms. "I'm not sure, Bob," she said quietly, turning around and crossing her arms. "But the kids are probably at home wondering—"

"Kids? Nobody was home when I—"

"What? They weren't there?"

"C'mon. Let's go," he urged, grabbing her arm and taking her to the car. He punched it and they peeled out.

Mother Truax looked at Helen's abandoned suitcase in disdain.

"Someday, I'll…"

And then she fell asleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The schools' bells rang, and Dash and Violet ran to meet up between the two.

"We'd better get home before Jack-Jack destroys the house," Vi suggested. "So, how was your day?"

"Awful. Yours?"

"Same."

As the two zoomed home, both were silent.

"Got a key?" Dash asked, as he slowed to a stop.

"Yep."

They entered the house, relieved to find it in one piece. Jack-Jack was sitting on the floor, asleep. Violet knelt down to wake him, and their parents burst through the door.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," Dash said innocently. "You guys are home early."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Piiiiing…_

Mirage blinked, wondering where the sound was coming from. The room was dark, and she realized a cloth was covering her eyes. As she reached to take it off, pain flamed through her body, and she cringed.

"Oh good. You're awake," a deep voice said.

"Wh…what?"

Mirage licked her dried lips. Her whole body felt tender and detached. It hurt to talk.

"Sh-shh. Don't hurt yourself," the voice said. "My name is Dr. Bocci."

"No," she croaked. "I—"

A fit of coughing racked her body, and she was overcome by a tortuous ache.

"I warned you," the man said. It was rather unnerving to Mirage that the tone of his voice did not change, no matter what he said. She lay still and hoped that the pain would subside. She was blind, mute, paralyzed… and, as Dr. Bocci continued to talk, she wished that she might as well be deaf.

"The witnesses say that a bomb detonated in your building, throwing you against a wall and causing part of the wing you were in to collapse." He paused. "You are very, very llucky to be alive. Now, as you can see here… Oh, wait. You can't see. Do you want me to take that cloth off?" He paused again. "Oh. Right. You can't respond to that – you can't speak. Now that just won't do." He kept going, and Mirage decided to ignore him. "I'll be back later," he said finally.

"Wait," Mirage managed. "Why?"

She heard the man sigh.

"I already told you this. You have severe burns on your hands and feet, and some minor ones on your face. Which is why the cloth's there. You inhaled a lot of smoke… which explains your throat. You are also covered in bruises and scrapes from the explosion – that's the soreness. But don't worry, you should be completely healed in a few days with our aggressive regimen."

"No," Mirage whispered weakly. "My—"

"You'll be fine," the man said, starting to sound annoyed at her inability to complete a sentence. "I'll be back to check on you later."

"—baby," Mirage coughed. She rolled her eyes. What was this? Some kind of hostage center? Who had bombed her, and why was she being treated so badly?

Remembering the laugh, Mirage tensed. Beneath the towel, her eyes flashed. She sat up, crying out in pain. The cloth fell away from her face and she saw her reflection in the mirror her. Her face was swollen and the skin was peeling in places. Very slowly, she turned her head to gaze at the strange room. Then she took a breath, steadied herself, and stood. Her feet protested, but she began to walk – slowly – out into the hall. She padded to a table and lifted the glass of water there to her lips. The water soothed her parched throat.

Now in what appeared to be some sort of lobby, she looked around. The architecture and décor looked vaguely familiar.

And then she saw him.


	9. Too Late to Apologize?

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Nine: Too Late to Apologize 

_Warning: this chapter will actually be true to the story's rating of TEEN. (But otherwise the story's pretty much PG, huh?)_

Later that night, Helen lay awake, watching the giant dark mass of her husband's back rise and fall with the breaths he took. He lay on his side, facing away from her, so she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.

"You're still awake, aren't you?" Bob mumbled, his voice muffled by his pillow.

"Yeah," Helen whispered.

Bob rolled over and kissed her gently.

"Bob, I shouldn't have blown up at you today—"

"Shhh," Bob said placing his finger on her soft lips. "You had every right, honey. I should be the one apologizing. I know you're going through a… _tough_ time, and you have to know that I would never want to be with anybody else."

He heard a sniffle in the dark.

"Oh, Helen, I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"No, don't be. I'm just… overly emotional. You know. Because of…"

"Right."

"This is just so awesome, honey," Helen murmured, squeezing Bob's massive shoulder. "I've never heard you talk like this before, really…"

"Well, there was that one time when we were fighting the Omnidroid, making deathbed confessions…"

Helen smacked him.

"Don't ruin the moment."

"Sorry."

Helen kissed him.

"Don't be sorry. About anything. I love you just the way you are."

"No matter what happens?"

Helen smiled. He was quoting their vows.

"No matter what happens."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Violet awoke to the noisy ringing of her phone.

"Oh, shit," she whispered, snatching it and pressing it to her ear. "Who are you and why are you calling me at this absurd hour?"

"Violet?"

It was Tony.

She took a shallow breath, not saying anything for a moment.

"Are you still there?"

"Maybe."

"I shouldn't have called. I'm sorry. I'll hang up now."

"Well, I'm awake now," Violet grumped, stretching and sitting up. "So talk."

"I didn't think you'd pick up," Tony admitted. "I… don't really have anything to say.

Violet groaned, quite audibly.

"You could start by apologizing for waking me and possibly my entire family at one-in-the-freaking-morning." She paused. "And for being such a jerk today. Your little tantrum caused an explosion, you know that? And I took the blame for you."

"I did not," Tony said, chuckling appreciatively at the retelling.

"You did," Violet retorted, laughing herself.

She stopped suddenly. They were acting like they were still boyfriend and girlfriend! Tony must have shared her sentiments, because he went silent.

"Hey, Vi… Well, I'm sorry I woke you up, all right? I'll let you get back to… sleeping or whatever."

"You called me for a reason, Tony Rydinger."

He sighed.

"Good night, Vi," he said quietly.

"Don't you hang up on me—"

_Beeeeeeeeep._

"Screw you," she snapped, slamming the phone down. "I broke up with you, anyway."

Then she drew her knees up to her chin and cried.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her first instinct was to throw all her weight into one good hard slap, but her hands were severely damaged, so she barely restrained herself.

"Hello," Mirage said, her voice cold and professional.

Syndrome jumped, looking up.

"Oh my God," he said, standing and reaching for her.

"Don't touch me," Mirage replied, backing up.

"Oh, right. The burns," he said softly, sounding disappointed. He desperately wanted to grab her and shove his tongue into her, among other tasteless, unmentionable things he enjoyed doing.

"What I mean is, stay the hell away from me," she hissed.

Syndrome's face contorted.

"Well, babe, this isn't quite the happy reunion I dreamed of," he managed, with a chuckle he had to struggle to produce.

"Oh yeah? Me either. But nothing says 'I love you' like practically being _blown up_!"

She was shaking with rage.

"I never meant—"

"Get OFF my ISLAND!"

"Sorry babe, no can do. Y'see, there's nothing in the will about it. But it doesn't matter, since I'm not dead and the island is still most definitely mine."

"How are you not dead, anyway?"

"I'll tell you later," Syndrome decided. "Right now I want to show you the new hospital wing – in which you currently reside."

"I'm sure you'll be putting it to good use soon," Mirage said dryly.

"You're not going to hurt yourself, are you?" he asked, nervous.

"No more than you already have," she said under her breath, adding aloud, "Funny – you never seemed concerned with my well-being before."

"Look, if you're still talking about that incident with Incredible—"

"That, and the fact that you left me alone for three months…"

"You're sure talking well for having such extensive injuries."  
"You just wanted me weak upon your return so I would fall back into your arms," she snorted.

"All's fair in love and glory."

"This isn't a goddamn war game, and you're not the hero. You've hurt so many people. Especially me."

"Maybe so. But isn't it worth it, now that I'm back? We can go back to the way things were…"

He traced his finger over her puffy jaw and she drew in her breath sharply.

"It's so very convenient that you only have to wait a couple of days to get back into my pants," she murmured, holding her head up – though it pained her. She smirked. "I bet you're regretting putting that medicated water out for me now."

"I didn't come here just to have sex with you," Syndrome pouted, insulted. "And you're being very unprofessional right now."

Mirage looked down at him pointedly.

"Touché." Syndrome cleared his throat and smoothed down the front of his supersuit. "When can we stop arguing?"

"Will we ever, …Buddy?"

Syndrome shook his head, both impressed and disgusted at her quick intellect. Very few could shoot comebacks like her.

"Why'd I hire such a smart person?"

Mire turned her back to him. "Why'd I fall in love with one?"

She turned to leave and Syndrome's mouth went slack.

"Babe," he called. "I—"

Annoyed, she turned back.

"I think you should get back in bed and rest," he finished, his voice faltering slightly as it broke.

"I'm fine, thank you," She replied stiffly.

"Hey, a guy's gotta make a grant entrance," he added weakly, trying pathetically to explain his actions. "Right?"

As he watched her walk back in the direction of her office, he realized she had never been in this wing of the building and probably didn't know where she was going. He also noticed the regal way she carried her self was turning into a limp - the painkiller's he'd put into her glass of water were wearing off.

_Note to self: no more blowing up stuff. You think it's cool. She doesn't._

In her bare feet and hospital gown, he knew the burns on her feet would be hurting very soon, very badly. He winced as he watched her crumple to the floor a moment later, crying out in pain.

So he went to pick her up.


	10. Surprise!

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Ten: Surprise!

Helen woke slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She smiled and touched the deep and familiar dent Bob's sleeping body had left in the mattress. He must have gone to job hunt – hopefully he hadn't returned to Nomanisan.

She sat up in bed and the door to her bedroom opened. Instead of a hungry child, it was Bob, with a plate of steaming food.

"Morning, beautiful," he beamed.

"Bob? You did this?" she looked impressed. Her mouth watered.

"Actually, Violet did," Bob admitted, sheepishly. "But I helped."

"Where are they? It's so quiet."

"The kids? They're at school. Well, Jack-Jack's asleep."

Helen gasped and checked the clock.

"But it's only seven!"

"I set back the clock two hours so you could sleep in," Bob said, proud of himself.

"I love you," Helen grinned, extending her arms to give him a hug.

"Enjoy," Bob said, laying the tray on her lap.

"I will," she promised, with her mouth full already. "So, why aren't you gone yet?"

Her husband shrugged.

"I thought you and I could spend the day together."

Helen swallowed and smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that." Looking up adoringly at Bob, she grinned. "I should let you get mad at me more often!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once again, Dash was reluctant to go to school. He felt like he had nothing to look forward to anymore. Somehow, that one last incident of being ignored had sort of sealed the deal: he and Carissa were just not meant to be. He trudged sullenly up the stairs to his elementary school, blinking furiously to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes. He knew one look at her would break the dam. So he kept his down.

So impervious was his barrier of depression, he almost failed to remember his upcoming birthday. He smiled slightly, forgetting to raise his foot upon approaching the final step. His short little legs caught on it and he faceplanted into the cement.

Mortified, he hurried through the hallway and rushed to his classroom. He sat down at his desk, alone.

_Where is everybody?_ he throught briefly.

Suddenly, the sound of tramping feet filled the air, and he heard the opening strains of "Happy Birthday." He wasn't quite in the mood, but decided to humor his teacher's wishes of having a nice little surprise party for him. Nothing about it seemed particularly special, until he saw Carissa bringing up the rear of the line, carrying a magnificent brown cake with _his name_ emblazoned on it!

He frantically tried to recall other boys' birthdays. Robbie had skipped school that day, Jonathan brought in cupcakes… and William? Well, William's had passed uneventfully. (Nobody really knew William that well, anyway.) For no one else had there been a party – or cake – quite like this.

"Is this for me?" he asked dumbly, being presented with the cake.

Carissa giggled.

"Of course it is, silly. It's _got your name on it_!"

Dash smiled indulgently and swiped a piece of frosting with his finger. "This is so delicious!" he announced. "Thanks, Carissa."

She met his eyes.

"Happy birthday, Dash," she whispered.

And then she was leaning in, her pink party dress dangerously close to the chocolate frosting, her lips meeting Dash's for a fleeting moment over the cake.

Dash could only think of one thing to say as Carissa drew back.

"Th-thanks!" he managed, giddy.

It was a surprise, all right.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Bocci watched patiently as Syndrome paced around the room, mumbling to himself and alternately crossing and uncrossing his arms.

"I don't understand!" he bellowed, slamming his palm into the wall. "I thought she'd be elated to see me again." He turned his back to the wall and lowered his voice to a threatening growl. "I know Incredible has been here."

The doctor blinked owlishly and pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. He liked the classic, picture-perfect doctor. No one would guess he worked for a supervillain.

"You fixed me." Syndrome turned on his heel and fixed his bloodshot eyes on the doctor, who jumped but quickly regained his composure. "Why-isn't-she-getting-BETTER?!"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm giving her all the drugs her body can handle in her delicate state."

The doctor was shaking inside, but he held Syndrome's gaze.

"Well, then, Bocci," he snarled, "perhaps I should get a second opinion."

He snapped his fingers and a group of guards appeared.

Bocci stood his ground. "All my colleagues would agree that this whole situation wasn't quite _my_ fault."

"THAT'S IT!!" Syndrome roared, his coat snapping as he whipped around. "Guards, you know what to do," he said in an inhumanely bored tone.

"You can't do this!" the doctor yelled, being seized. "I spent months on your reconstructive surgery!" He thought frantically of a way to save himself.

Syndrome shrugged, unimpressed and ungrateful.

Dr. Bocci closed his eyes. One burly guard was gripping his neck like it was a stick, another was loading a weapon he didn't dare look at. And then, at last, he had an idea.

"Wait!" he choked.

Syndrome rolled his eyes. "Release him. He won't go anywhere." He sneered, eyeing the weapon Dr. Bocci feared – the electric current blaster that could pulverize his entire immune system in a matter of seconds. It was one of Syndrome's favorite inventions.

Coughing, Bocci fell to the floor.

"I hope you have a good excuse for wasting my time," Syndrome snarled.

_My life_, the doctor thought, but said, "I'm the only one who can care for the patient. You see, I'm the only double certified doctor you can hire."

Syndrome snorted. "I'm sure there's plenty—"

Fearing he didn't have much longer to talk, Bocci interrupted. "I'm the only one trained for all that you need – smoke inhalation, burns, etc." He took a breath. "I'm also an obstetrician."

Expecting to be laughed at, Bocci was surprised that the room was silent.

Syndrome was unfamiliar with that term. He tapped his foot impatiently, frustrated that he didn't know what was being spoken about. "Care to elaborate on that?"

The doctor would have laughed then, if he hadn't been in fear for his life. "You know… a doctor that takes care of women and babies."

Syndrome's face was blank for a moment, then he reached into his belt and pulled out a small stun gun and fired.

While the man was writhing on the floor, Syndrome walked over and stood over him. "I am neither patient enough to stand nor gullible enough to swallow your little stories. I don't need a… whatever you are, and therefore don't need you," he said coldly. "Guards… dispose of him. For all the pain he's caused Mirage, he deserves a little." He turned on his heel and began to walk away, laughing maniacally.

Paralyzed and weak, Bocci felt himself being dragged to his feet. With the last of his strength, he said, "I'm not lying. She's pregnant."

Syndrome turned back, his face frighteningly expressionless as he regarded Bocci. "And why should I believe you? You'll do anything if it means saving your life. And I never asked you to examine her for… that."

Bocci raised his head definitely. "I didn't have to. She told me."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Confused and alone, Violet tried to make sense of what was happening. Tony had called her for some reason at one in the morning, and she missed him. But she also felt a very strange and very strong attraction to Nic. She didn't know who he was or why she liked him so much, but she did.

So she was pleasantly surprised to see him while walking to science.

He was talking into a phone and looked angry. She hesitated, not wanting to interrupt, but he noticed her and jumped, quickly flipping the phone closed and stuffing it into his pocket.

"Violet," he said warmly. "What a lovely surprise."

"I was thinking the same thing," Violet smiled. "Look, about last time…"

The boy put his arm around her reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Vi. Everyone's shy around me. Most of 'em won't even talk to me again. But you're special." He leaned in close. "I can tell."

Violet looked away shyly.

"Violet?"

Tony was holding a giant bouquet of flowers. His face fell when he saw Nic's arm around Violet.

"You must be him. The guy Violet's so frustrated with." Nic looked Tony up and down. "Don't worry, she's fine without you, Flower Boy." He drew Violet close to him possessively. "Aren't you, babe?"

Violet nodded, but her eyes were glazed over slightly and her movements seemed mechanical.

"What about last night?" Tony asked weakly. His voice cracked. Then he ran.

Violet rubbed her forehead. "Whoa… I have a major headache. Sorry, what were you saying?"

Nic smiled and released her. "Don't worry. Nothing important."


	11. Dangerous Weapons

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Eleven: Dangerous Weapons

Syndrome threw open the door to Mirage's hospital room and stormed in. Normally the sight of her frail form lying lifeless in the bed stilled his heart. Now it just enraged him.

"Get up!" he howled. His flaming face nearly matched his hair.

Slowly, Mirage's eyes fluttered open.

"Guards!"

The men came in, dragging Bocci with them. Mirage sat up immediately, already aware of what this was about. She started to get up from the bed, but Syndrome pushed her back onto it – probably, she thought, just so he could look down at her.

"This man is saying things. Tell me they're lies."

Mirage's wit had momentarily left her, so she stared at him coolly. She had just been rudely awakened and needed a moment to gather her thoughts. Silence would buy her some time.

"Well?" Syndrome demanded.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," she replied evenly.

"I think you do," Syndrome said, his voice growing surlier by the syllable.

"_I_ think I deserve a civil conversation."

Bocci quietly watched Mirage, awed and impressed by her audacity. He wished he could help her, but knew he was powerless.

"How could this happen?"

Mirage raised an eyebrow. "Like you don't remember."

Syndrome clenched his hands into fists.

"Is it… mine?"

"For God's sake, of course it is!" Mirage cried. "How could you think otherwise?"

Syndrome looked away. "I was gone for a while."

"Of course this conversation had to lead to you." Mirage crossed her arms and glared at him. She could feel her whole life unraveling as she spoke. "It's always about you. I don't know if there's room for a child here."

"Of course there isn't," Syndrome snapped. "I've told you that many times."

"I thought it would be good for you – help you settle down."

"I _don't_ need to _settle _DOWN!" Syndrome shrieked.

Everybody in the room went silent and still. Syndrome wrung his hands out nervously and stepped toward Bocci. The man was beginning to feel things again, and didn't think he could withstand another blast of the stun gun. He cowered in the presence of Syndrome, who was currently leaning in to speak to him.

"I want an abortion done tonight, Bocci," he said quietly.

He heard Mirage gasp.

"I – I'm not qualified to perform such a procedure. Sir," the doctor managed, not meeting Syndrome's eyes.

Syndrome fingered his weapon belt.

"Then I'll do it myself."

"No," Mirage cried, standing. "Syndrome, please…" She placed his fingers on his chest, right over his heart. "What happened to you?" She turned away, withdrawing her hand. "What happened to Buddy?"

Syndrome closed his eyes. He couldn't let her have control of him like this. He wanted sometimes to be Buddy again, but so much of him was… not.

"Buddy's gone," he said quickly, opening his eyes.

Mirage wasn't about to cave.

"And Syndrome almost was, too. I thought I would lose everything. I—" She laughed slightly. "I know I'm being unprofessional. It feels so good." She paused. "But if Buddy who cared about me and cared about this baby, I would tell him that I… that I love our baby. And that I love him too."

Syndrome blinked.

"I thought that you thought that love was invalid. Impossible. Unnecessary."

"I did. But then I met Buddy."

After a moment, his eyes softened. "I… I'll go talk to Buddy." He looked over at Bocci. "That procedure won't be necessary. You may retire to your quarters now."

The doctor inclined his head, relieved, and struggled to his feet.

"Guards, dismissed."

Syndrome turned to leave, a sudden peace washing over him. Then he felt a hand on his back. It was Mirage.

"I'm glad you're back," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For once Violet was anxious to get to her science class. She really wanted to talk to Tony.

"Tony, I wanted to say I'm sorry," she blurted out upon meeting him.

"Really?" Tony asked. A tentative smile tugged at the edges of his mouth. "Well, these are for you," he told her, producing the (now rather crumpled) bouquet of red roses.

"Tony!" she gasped. "You're so amazing! How did you know red was my favorite color?"

He shrugged, grinning.

"Lucky, I guess."

"Look, I know I've been acting pretty weird lately, but—"

"I'll say," Tony interrupted, frowning. "Like hanging out with that Nic kid. What's his story?"

Vi looked surprised. "How did you know about Nic?"

"Uh, I saw you put his arm around you earlier today."

"Oh," Violet murmured.

"Didn't you see me?"

She shook her head.

"He was talking to me, and then he left, and the bell rang."

"I walked right by," Tony insisted.

"Sorry – I just didn't notice you."

"Well, he sure did," he snorted. "He told me that you were fine without me, and you- you agreed." He looked hurt.

"I-I honestly don't remember…"

"Well, whatever happened, I'm glad we're friends again," Tony said, carefully.

"That's it?" Vi pushed, grinning. "These roses are too pretty and I'm too sorry for you to just settle for that."

"So… we're back together, then?"

Violet smiled and kissed him.

"I'll take that as a yes," he grinned.

After class, Violet almost skipped out to lunch. She almost ran right into Nic.

"What are you doing out here?" she wondered. "Class _just_ ended."

Nic looked flustered, but shrugged.

"I had a little chat with the attendance clerk that day you were up in the office," he replied breezily. "It's taken care of. You look happy – what's up?"

"Me and Tony made out. UP," she corrected herself hastily, blushing.

"Oh. That's… nice," Nic said, stiffly.

"Look, Nic, I'm sorry things didn't work out between us," she murmured, looking down. "I mean, if there was anything, ever… well, you know. It kinda seemed like—"

"Relax, sweetheart. You gave me everything I needed."

"Oh. Uh, okay…?"

"Why don't you just…" His intense eyes looked onto hers. "…_forget_ me?"

Violet's eyes shot wide open and she stood perfectly still for a moment. Then Nic turned and left, and she staggered backwards into a locker. Tony caught her shoulder and supported her.

"Vi, you okay?"

She shook her head quickly and smiled brightly.

"Yeah, I'm great. Let's go eat!"

"All right," Tony replied slowly, unconvinced.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feeling better a while later, Mirage slipped out of her room and went to go check on Syndrome. He had taken up working in an office nearby so he could keep a constant watch on her.

When she entered his workspace, he was crouched in a large chair, facing away from her and talking in a low voice. She turned to leave, but then stopped.

"Look, kid, he's been here. I told you that you needed to do it faster. Look – I'd do it myself, but I'm taking care of some personal issues right now, all right? I've given you everything you've wanted, haven't I? That's right. I'm taking care of you. So don't screw this up for me. I want Incredible dead."

Mirage's heart skipped a beat. She stealthily snuck away and found a phone. Knowing her conversation would be automatically recorded, she used one of her nails to sever a wire.

"Mr and Mrs. Incredible," she whispered, "you won't believe this.

"Syndrome's alive."


	12. Back to Normal

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Twelve: Back to Normal

Syndrome entered Mirage's room the next morning holding flowers.

"Good morning, baby," he greeted her, prancing over to her bedside. He leaned down to kiss her slim belly under the sheets. "And good morning, baby."

Mirage giggled. "Don't _I_ get a kiss?"

"If I have to," Mirage responded, with mock annoyance. He grinned and quickly obliged.

"You're too sweet."

"Hey, guess what? Doc says you can come back home today!" he told her excitedly. "So… you should probably get changed.

He closed the door behind him.

"All right," she said slowly.

His eyes danced mischievously and he eyed her body with something comparable to hunger. As Mirage shimmied out of her hospital gown, his eyes immediately latched onto her chest.

"Wow," he managed. "They're…" He searched for the right word. "…huge."

"Look, but don't touch," Mirage scolded. "They're pretty tender."

He looked disappointed.

All dressed, she pulled him out of the room. "Now come on. Let's get busy." She sighed in exasperation at his eager face. "I meant… oh, never mind. Let's go."

"There's so much to do. I can't believe it's been three months since we've worked together—"

"Whoa. What's this?"

Syndrome frowned and examined the phone that Mirage had used the previous night. She sucked in her breath sharply.

"Guards!" he screamed.

The men marched in.

"All right, which one of you was it?" he demanded, pointing at the phone.

No one moved.

"It was me. I called my mother last night," Mirage lied. "I thought it was only fair for her to know. She was so excited." She forced herself to smile, even though she was lying blatantly. She hadn't talked to her mother since she'd been a child.

"Oh. Okay, babe," Syndrome said.

"She lives in Europe. You know, the accent…" her voice faltered.

"Right."

Syndrome did not at all care for his parents, and neither did he particularly care for the direction in which this conversation was going. Her pregnancy was a very large setback for him, personally, and he did not want to discuss it.

"Guards… go away," he snapped.

They quickly obeyed, and Syndrome stalked off. Mirage followed him, since she wasn't sure how to get out of this hospital.

Today, she was going back to work. Just like it was a normal day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Violet was feeling safe and secure, having dreamed of Tony. She hadn't had nightmares in months; well, they hadn't had a good battle since then, either. Getting to use her Super powers had been nice, but now that she didn't have to so much, she did feel more normal. After all, who could plan a date when at any moment you'd have to run off with no explanation?

She strolled down to the kitchen for breakfast but there was nothing on the table. She looked at the clock, confused. They only had half an hour before they had to leave for school.

Sneaking into the den, Violet saw her mother on the phone.

"Mom, I'm hungry," she said.

"Not now," Helen mouthed back. "Yes, Honey. Oh, congratulations! That's wonderful! Yes. We're so happy for you. That's great news. I know." Helen looked at Violet and made a face. Honey was infamous for monologueing.

"Honey, I need to talk to Lucius, though. Can you hand him the phone for me?" She paused. "Yeah. Thanks.

"Oh, hey Lucius. Listen, can you come over for breakfast this morning?" She turned away and lowered her voice. "Bring your Super suit."

When she hung up a moment later, Violet grilled her with questions.

"Well, for starters, you are not going to school today," Helen said, in a measured voice. "There are some things we need to take care of. Your father is talking to Mr. Dicker at the moment."

Violet frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means, sweetie, that we have to start using our powers again," Helen told her quietly.

"Why?" Vi questioned, starting to worry.

Helen took a deep breath.

"Mirage called us late last night. She… Syndrome's alive. And she thinks that he still wants revenge."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bob had sat in this room too many times to count. Something about it still gave him the chills.

It was the NSA's old office, and it was now getting back into business. It was hard to believe the Supers were finally being allowed to come out of hiding after all the lawsuits, court hearings, and lectures he'd sat through. And not everyone was happy about it. Still, after Syndrome unleashed the Omnidroid and was unable to defeat it, they had saved the town.

"Rick," he said, his eyes darting about the room anxiously. "How is it possible…?"

Dicker shrugged, calm as always.

"Well Bob, we don't exactly know, but our theorists speculate from the size of the explosion you observed, Syndrome detonated something himself. We don't know how, but he landed safely and got away."

"But you said that when you rebuilt our house, you only found debris—"

"Exactly. _No body_."

The room spun. This was impossible…

"And he apparently had money worldwide that we couldn't control."

Bob gritted his teeth.

"I just can't get a break."

"Don't worry, Bob. We can take care of this. You don't have to lift a finger."

He decided not to mention the Omnidroid.

"My family's gonna flip," Bob sighed.

"It'll all be fine."

"He's got missiles, bombs, grenades, an army, limitless materials and the mentality of a mad genius."

"He's number one on all the most wanted lists. We can handle an impulsive wannabe."

"HOW?"

Rick showed a rare smile.

"We have a friend on the inside."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Helen sat with Frozone at the table. He was rather disturbed the fact that it was just the two of them and Bob left – only three supers left in the entire world – and the man who had killed everyone else was trying to hunt them down. What had they ever done to him?

"So," he said slowly. "Just like old times, huh? Ruthless villains out to get us while we figure out what to do. The group's a little smaller now."

"There are only six Supers on the planet. And half of them are children."

"Oh man." Lucius groaned. "I hope our baby has powers."

"It's a fifty-fifty chance—"

"And what about the next generation?" Lucius asked, shaking his head. "We're going extinct. Fast."

"No superheroes means no super villains, right?" Helen asked weakly.

Lucius cringed, not wanting to think about it.

"Let's hope so."

"A world without us – seems so weird."

Just then Bob burst through the door. "Good news. I forgot to tell you, but Mirage has powers. And she's going to help us!"


	13. Planning

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Thirteen: Planning

Violet sat on her bed trembling, hugging her knees to her chest. She couldn't believe someone wanted to kill her. She wished she could talk to Tony about this, but exposing her secret identity would just put him in danger. She wished she knew what to do. She wished she was safe.

_It's okay_, she tried to reassure herself. _You beat him before_.

Well, not quite.

She exhaled and closed her eyes. She felt so childish, but maybe if she went downstairs she could get the gist of what was happening. She would feel better if she at least knew what was going on.

"Mom?" she squeaked, tiptoeing into the kitchen, where the adults were gathered.

"Not now, honey," Bob said quickly.

"Are we safe here? I mean, he knows where our house is…"

Helen put an arm around her daughter reassuringly.

"If it makes you feel better, you can stay out here with us," she offered gently.

Vi nodded.

"All right. Let's get started," Lucius declared. "So, how is Mirage going to help us, exactly?"

"Well, she's pretty close to Syndrome, and knows his… weaknesses, and such. And while she's not very strong or much of an asset in a fight, she does have the ability to teleport. Then leave an image of herself at the prior location."

"And that's useful because…?" Vi asked.

Bob frowned. "We're not quite sure. Yet."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mirage had tried to keep her mind from wandering, but nonetheless later that day she found herself shuffling through pregnancy pamphlets. Someone knocked on her door and she hurriedly shoved the material under a stack of papers.

"Miss Mirage?"

"Oh. It's you," she sighed in relief, turning to look at Bocci. "If it's all right, I had some questions about these." She sheepishly retrieved the pamphlets – which he had given her.

"Fire away."

Mirage flinched.

"I'm so sorry," the doctor gasped. "I… I guess that word has a pretty bad connotation around here, huh?"

She nodded.

"How can I raise a child right when I've done so many things that were wrong?" she whispered. "I never meant to become like this. When he was killing off all the others, I knew I'd be safe here. I've never even really used my powers – didn't consider myself a Super. But the pay was good, and I needed the money. Now here I am, such a long time later, confessing my sins to my ob/gyn."

"I can help you," Dr. Bocci promised. "But you have to help me."

"Anything."

Starving for knowledge and the chance to redeem herself, Mirage looked up at Bocci hopefully.

"First, you need to convince Syndrome not to harm me," Bocci said.

"Done."

"And then I need your complete trust."

"Of course. You already have it."

"Good. Now I need some money."

"Excuse me?"

Bocci smiled.

"How long does it take supplies to arrive here, Mirage?"

"Well, we grow or produce most of our provisions here," she told him. "But shipments, when needed, take about a… oh, I think a week or so to arrive."

"A week," he mused. "I have a psychiatrist friend back in the States. He can diagnose all kinds of mental illnesses."

"Is there something wrong with the baby?" Mirage cried.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Just with the father."

"What are you saying?" Mirage asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I think Syndrome may be bipolar."

"That explains everything!"

The doctor raised an eyebrow.

"When I saw on the television that Syndrome had been attacked by his own Omnidroid, I called his mother to see if she knew. Apparently, she hadn't heard from him since he was a child. She said he ran away, and hadn't taken his medication with him."

"So then he knew, before."

"I think so."

"Then all we have to do is get my friend to prescribe and send over some medication." Bocci smiled. "Since he's already been taking it, we know his body will react well to it. Now all we need is some time."

Mirage sighed. "If only we had some."

"What do you mean?"

"Syndrome was planning something. I'm not sure what, but I know it involves an attack on his hometown. And I'm not positive when it will happen."

"It could be going on right now," Bocci worried.

"Every time Syndrome plans something violent, it's in one of his bad moods. So you're saying if we can get him the medication soon enough, we'll get him calmed down enough to call off the attack?"

"Precisely," Bocci replied.

"Well," Mirage said, smiling, "I guess my job will come in handy after all. _I'm_ in charge of all our imports."

"Get them to send over that medication. On rush."

Mirage was booting up her laptop as he spoke. I'm already on it."

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For his whole life, Syndrome had always had a plan. He'd made inventions, won contests, had dreams of what his life would be like. But his wish to become Mr. Incredible's side kick had been dashed the night he'd met Bomb Voyage.

After he'd been sent home, he ripped down any memory or memorabilia of Mr. Incredible. Then he discarded his handmade Super suit and stuffed the rest of his important possessions into his backpack.

He'd walked and walked before settling under a bridge for a dinner of a cold roll and some leftover lunchmeat. He wasn't quite sure what he would do, but he had the money from the inventions he'd made, and the blueprints for the ones he was going to. He could take care of himself. He would be okay. Somehow. And then he looked over, and saw _him_.

The man spoke in broken – if any – English, and seemed familiar. Buddy remembered him, and _he_ remembered Buddy. However, the boy was most recognizable by his suit (now missing), so Buddy's inventions became the item of interest.

Even though they couldn't understand each other, Buddy showed off his inventions, and Bomb Voyage presented his collection of explosives.

When they parted the next morning, Buddy had a blueprint for a new bomb drawn up, as well as most of the bombs. Bomb Voyage did not realize this, as he was still asleep when Buddy left with all of _his_ stuff. Vulnerable and defenseless, Bomb Voyage would wake later to find himself surrounded by police and about to be deported to a jail. In France.

Buddy wandered a lot, searching dumps for materials to make his inventions, then selling them and using the money for food and lodging. One day someone took him in, educated him, and made selling his inventions a business. One night when Buddy was seventeen, he and the old man had a fight. Accusations flew – including one about Buddy being mentally ill.

The next day Buddy sold the old man's house and possessions, and took his company to its new location on a private island. The old man, meanwhile, was recuperating in a hospital.

Buddy's life had been nothing but success but then. Sure, he found himself going kind of crazy sometimes – having strange thoughts, feeling out of control, getting angry or sad for no reason – but things worked out well enough. Until the day it all went wrong. His problem – his _syndrome_ – had gotten so bad and made him so angry, his plans came to a head. Even when the Omnidroid attack was a flop, he still had Jack-Jack to bargain with. Then his rocket boots malfunctioned.

Near death at the hand of his won rocket, he used one of his stolen ideas, and detonated the Super Bomb.

With his jet in pieces, his reputation on the rockets, multiple injuries and no way to get home, Syndrome realized that he was, again, out of a plan. So he did then what he had done before – he walked.

His ravaged body finally gave out on him beside a freeway, where a doctor who specialized in treating burns like his decided to give him treatment. When he finally recovered, Syndrome took Bocci back to the island with him. But as with most, he just took advantage of the doctor. He had a new plan.

All his others had been ruined by Mr. Incredible. That would not happen again.

"Wait a week," he said in a low voice into his phone. "I'm coming down there myself."

Mirage, who had overheard, slipped away.


	14. Attack

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Fourteen: Attack

The package came three days later.

Mirage quickly scanned over the directions on the bottle of pills and slipped the proper dose into Syndrome's lunch.

"This has four days to take effect," she reminded herself.

As if she could forget.

When she brought the plate of food to his office, she placed it gingerly atop his desk. He grunted a thanks and continued to work. For a moment, she stood and waited for him to eat it.

"You should eat," she encouraged. "It'll give you energy."

Syndrome grudgingly took a bite.

"Thanks, babe." He stretched to give her a kiss.

Smiling at her success, Mirage turned to leave. She knew she would be doing this for many days, until he would take the medication willingly.

"Kinda chalky, though."

Mirage froze.

"Oh. Ah, it's a new kind of sauce," she lied quickly. "Do you like it?"

He shrugged. "Pretty tasteless."

Mirage returned to her office, hoping she could still get in some time with Dr. Bocci to discuss their plan.

"Dr. Bocci?"

The man looked at her. His bloodshot eyes were wide with fear and he had just downed the contents of the large wine glass he was holding. He blinked.

"Are you all right?" Mirage asked, concerned.

Bocci wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set the glass down. "I don't know if I can do this anymore. You don't know what it was like. I'm going crazy, stuck here – every day afraid." He poured himself some more wine and swiftly gulped it down.

"What _what_ was like?" Mirage prodded gently.

Bocci was trembling.

"He was going to kill me. He had a gun. Big gun."

"The medicine came today," Mirage soothed. "And now that he knows I need you, you aren't going anywhere." _We've had this conversation before…_ she added, to herself.

He looked up at her accusingly. "_You_. You're the reason I'm here!"

Starting to get uncomfortable, Mirage fumbled for the secret compartment hidden in her desk. It held a gun. It should be right there.

It was gone.

Suddenly, Mirage felt an arm around her throat, the hand attached to it reaching up to cover her mouth. She sighed inwardly, knowing she should probably, by now, expect to be snatched up and choked.

"Against the wall!" Bocci snarled, wielding the gun.

Forced into obedience, she let herself be shoved around. Bocci started mumbling to himself about how he could get out without being noticed, and how to keep Mirage quiet. She closed her eyes, focusing, and…

She was outside Syndrome's office. Her powers had worked! Crouching, she tried to make out what was being said.

"I have everything squared away now," he was saying. "I'm coming down there."

_Who does he keep calling?!_

"Gotcha," someone said.

Mirage glared up at Bocci.

"When you stopped moving, I figured out that it was just an image. You used your powers. Y'see, that's the problem with you Supers. You think you're invincible." He grinned wickedly. "Now I can keep you quiet." He leveled the gun at her head.

Syndrome burst out of his chair.

"Who's Super?" He looked at Bocci, then at the gun, then back at Bocci. "And what are you doing with that?"

Bocci froze.

"You were listening to my conversation?" Syndrome bellowed.

"I was just following her!"

He looked down at Mirage, cowered behind a cabinet. She winced as Syndrome reached into his weapon belt.

"D-don't shoot, or I will," Bocci stammered.

Expecting Syndrome to say "go ahead," she was shocked to hear him growl.

"Touch her and I'll blow your head off!"

Not wanting to risk anything, Syndrome picked Bocci up with his zero-point energy and slammed him back down. The gun flew from the doctor's hand.

"You belong in an asylum," Syndrome snorted, freezing him again. "Don't ever question me. Or threaten her."

In awe, Mirage let Syndrome help her to her feet. Then she watched him stalk off, dragging Bocci after him. She decided to follow.

"Syndrome. Wait."

He turned, looking annoyed.

"What?"

"I'm sorry for listening to your conversation. I just don't want you to get hurt again." She sighed. "Bocci told me everything. I'm sorry if that was wrong. I'm sorry for taking prenatal vitamins instead of birth control. I'm sorry if I just wanted you to commit to me. I'm sorry for falling in love with you. I'm sorry for being so unprofessional." She paused to take a breath, adding, "And, I'm sorry for letting Mr. Incredible go back then."

Syndrome had his back turned to her. To Mirage's surprise, when he turned around, he drew her to him and kissed her passionately.

"You're a good person," he said, completely calm. She realized immediately that the meds had worked. "And… And…" He struggled with himself for a moment. "And I love you, too."

Then, he knelt.

"Oh my God," Mirage gasped. "This can't be happening."

"Marry me."

Mirage slipped on his interface ring and threw her arms around his neck, crying.

_Those are damn good drugs._

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Later that night Mirage went back to Syndrome's office with a candle, a lighter, and a sophisticated dinner. He must have been expecting her, because all of his "work stuff" was swept aside and there was an extra chair at his desk.

"Good evening," she smiled.

"So, how is my _fiancé_?"

"Better now." She seated herself and reached for his hand. "I figured you'd want your interface ring back."

"You deserve better," Syndrome insisted, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Of course I do," Mirage teased. "So… what'd you do with Bocci?"

Syndrome shrugged indifferently.

"Tonight's about us, babe."

So, he was still calm. Mirage smiled, partly because of this fact, and partly because she had put a very large dose of the calming medicine into his dinner – just to ensure that it wouldn't wear off any time soon.

"Of course it is. So, what do you think of the meal?"

"It's perfect."

She cleared her throat. "There was something I wanted to ask you about."

"All right."

"Who are you calling?"

The question caught him off guard. "I, ah… that's a personal question," he stammered.

Mirage narrowed her eyes.

"We're getting married. Nothing is 'personal.'"

"It's just a business associate."

"Mm-hmm."

"He's doing a service for me, and I'm paying him for it. Just a simple business transaction."

She was unconvinced.

"I heard you talking to him," she said softly. "You were contacting someone who could exterminate Mr. Incredible."

Syndrome looked at her, his eyes cloudy.

"Why? Why are you letting childhood disappointment rule your life? You've _killed _people because he was _upset_ when you _got in his way_!" she cried. "And you got me involved too."

A stormy look passed over Syndrome's face, and Mirage could see him tense. But then his eyes softened in the candlelight.

"You're right. I've made a massive mistake." He shook his head. "I need to fix this."

"I'm going with you," Mirage insisted.

"You're staying safe though," he told her protectively, stroking her palm tenderly with his index finger. "And when it's over, we'll start our new life together."

Mirage nodded, almost shakily. It was like a miracle.

"Bocci's in Holding Cell Two down the hall. You have my permission to slap him around – if the guards escort you."

She smiled and leaned over the table.

"I love you."

Then they blew out the candle.


	15. A Clean Slate

**The Incredibles**

**All's Fair in Love and Glory**

Chapter Fifteen: A Clean Slate

When Mirage and Syndrome got up the next morning, she lifted her shirt to show him her new belly bump.

"Today's the halfway point," she said softly.

Syndrome looked dazed, and reach out to gingerly stroke it – his child. Mirage smiled and kissed his forehead as he leaned over.

"We'd better get going," he said, sitting up. "Are you sure you want to come?"

"Of course."

"I'm going to get the guards and Bocci. Think you can prepare the jet?"

Mirage raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pregnant, not paralyzed."

"Okay," Syndrome said, dressing quickly and heading off.

As he left, Mirage got out of their bed, still in sock. She would never have believed some small pills would so completely change her life. Well, she thought, looking proudly at her bump, except for perhaps the lack of some…

"Mr. and Mrs. Incredible!" she cried into the phone a moment later. "We're coming down there, but something wonderful had happened!"

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When the strange jet landed at the airport, everyone seemed to scatter. People had grown fearful of mysterious flying things since the Omnidroid attack four months ago.

Syndrome helped Mirage out, and the guards went to take Bocci to police. In the meantime, Syndrome had to try to evade the same police, who were now looking for him, long enough to fix things with the Incredibles. His hit man was still out looking for Bob, he was sure. He lowered a compartment of his jet and a sports car pulled out.

"My own model of the Incredibile," he grinned, climbing in.

He started the car and he and Mirage sped off towards the Incredibles' house, praying they would get there in time.

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"I can't believe it," Bob said, running a hand through his thinning hair.

"Maybe it's not true," Helen suggested.

"Mirage said he was coming to apologize. She wouldn't lie to us – she's on our side."

"We don't know that for sure."

"Well, let's hope she is, 'cause we ain't real prepared otherwise," Lucius quipped.

"Someone's coming!" Violet gasped.

"All right," Bob said, "nobody move until he does."

"It's not Syndrome!"

The door burst open. It was Nic.

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"Hold on. I've gotta make a stop."

"What?" Mirage cried. "That kid could be attacking them right now!"

"I know!" Syndrome said tightly. "But this is something I have to do."

He whipped the car to a stop in front of a church, grabbed Mirage, and sprinted in.

"PASTOR!" he yelled. "I'm the guy who called you last night! We need this done now!"

A very surprised older man came out onto the stage.

"Get this started, please," Syndrome stated, more calmly.

"Okay," the pastor said, assuming the position.  
Mirage looked at Syndrome, shocked, as the vows were recited.

"Mirage, do you take Syndrome to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She paused. "No. But I will take him, as Buddy Pine."

"Deal," 'Buddy' grinned.

"Then, I do!"

A moment later, they were back in the car, still kissing.

"Well, whaddya think?"

"Not exactly my dream wedding, but the groom was pretty sweet."

Buddy smiled. "I promise, I'll you a real ring. But I'm not sure what will happen after this. The police know I'm alive, and I _killed_ people. I deserve to be – and probably will – be in jail for life. Or worse."

"Don't talk like that," Mirage scolded. "You have a wife to take care of now."

"Yes, dear."

"You're well trained," she joked, just to make herself feel better. "Now, let's GO!"

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"My name is Nic, but the world will now know me as So_nic_ Blast," the boy announced. "I was sent here by a man named Syndrome. You will all remain perfectly still, and you will forget—"

His mind control was interrupted by his being pummeled by a sprinting Dash.

"Don't touch them!" he screeched, flying out of his room and into the teen, full force.

Then Syndrome ran in.

"Everyone, keep your eyes closed!" he commanded. "That's how he controls you." He turned to Nic. "Don't hurt them. I made a mistake asking you to. You'll still get your money, or whatever it is you wanted."

"All I wanted," Nic yelled, "was to be somebody! To use my powers – get fame." He looked over. "And, you made me use Violet!"

Syndrome looked ashamed.

"That period of my life is over now."

"Not in mine!" Nic cried. "You can't tell me what to do!"

Bob spoke to Lucius out of the corner of his mouth. "He's monologueing…"

Suddenly Lucius' hand shot out and a burst of ice came forth. Nic froze in place in the icy case, his mouth open and his eyebrows forced downward.

Lucius grinned at his triumph. "That, son, is why you don't monologue."

"Get Rick Dicker down here," Helen murmured. "We need to erase his memory. A kid with powers like that can do some real damage."

Violet looked at her knowingly. "Or some real good."

Syndrome twiddled his thumbs.

"Look, I… I don't even know what to say," he said softly.

Mirage came behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "We'd better go. The police are going to be here any minute."

He patted her hand.

"Let them come. I deserve whatever they'll give me."

Violet and Dash looked at each other.

Soon, Rick Dicker was there, not with the police, but with the NSA men.

"We'll erase Nic's memory of his conversations with Syndrome and get him to work with us. We can always use another Super on our side. And, you know, Mirage, that includes you."

"I don't think so," Mirage replied gently. "I have… other things to take care of."

Rick inclined his head and turned to Syndrome.

"As for you…" He shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid the politicians will have to figure it out. I'd rather not get them involved. I wish there was a way we could handle this quietly."

"Wait," Bob interrupted. "I have a solution that'll be good for everyone."

Syndrome looked at him.

"Why are you trying to help me? I killed all of your friends and almost did the same to your family." He paused, looked down, and repeated, "Why are you helping me?"

"Because," Bob said slowly, "this is my fault."

Helen and the kids glanced at their husband and father in confusion.

"I turned his help away when he was younger," he sighed. "But… I need it now. All of us in the NSA do. The inventions I ignored before obviously have great use. That is… if you'll teach us how they work." He looked at Rick Dicker. "With weapons like his, the United States won't face a threat from anybody. We can take down villains like they were pansies. Given, Syndrome will be watched by NSA workers who track him and his progress."

Dicker gave a characteristic slow blink. "That sounds all right, I suppose. What do you think, Syndrome?"

Syndrome squeezed Mirage's hand.

"In truth, Mr. I., all along I've just been a jealous child. I want to start over. It would be an honor to help you."

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**Four Months Later**

"Mr. Buddy Pine. Good to see you."

Bob shook his new co-workers hand. They had been discussing Buddy's new inventions, greeting guests at the party, and checking on the Super Lab out back where inventions, suits, and Supers could work, be tested, and do what they did best.

"I just wanted to thank you again for convincing Mr. Dicker to do this," Buddy said, looking around at the house he now owned, next door to the Parrs'.

"Well, the hefty donation you gave the NSA after selling your island and taking in Nic didn't hurt," Bob chuckled.

"So, how does it feel, Pine?" Lucius asked, clapping the young man on the back. "Soon you'll be a daddy."

"I could say the same to you," Buddy replied, glancing at the guests at Mirage and Honey's joint baby shower. "To be honest, it's kind of scary. But I have everything I've ever wanted. I can invent things at whim. Nic is being trained to use his powers for good. And I have a gorgeous wife, and baby on the way."

"Aren't you sweet," Mirage cooed, embracing him from behind.

"Bob, I'm going to go check on Jack-Jack. Edna's working with him down at the Lab, and I thought I just heard something explode," Helen said, passing by. "Oh, Mirage, you're just glowing."

"And due to pop any day," Honey teased, giving her new friend and fellow mother-to-be a side hug. "It's gonna be so exciting to raise our kids together."

"Nice party, huh?" Violet said, taking Tony's hand and leading him through the rows of people to get to the backyard. The Pines' backyard was totally gorgeous, complete with a pool, patio and landscape setup reminiscent of Nomanisan.

"It's beautiful," Tony commented, leaning in close to Violet. "Just like you."

He kissed her.

Nearby, Dash made a face. "They're so weird," he snapped. "Always being all mushy."

Carissa eyed him. "You don't like kissing, huh?"

Dash nodded, warily.

"Too bad!" Carissa chirped, planting one on him.

As night fell, the partygoers prepared to head home, all full and content. Buddy's mom was still trying to lead a congo line as the cars, one by one, pulled away from the giant house.

Bob Parr had thought his job as a super hero had long ended. But, as it turned out, for all of the people there that night, the adventure was only beginning… and it was going to be INCREDIBLE.


End file.
